(1) Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to the field of firearms, and in particular, to convenient, portable equipment that improves the accuracy and fatigue of aiming and shooting firearms. It is particularly useful for, but not limited to, longer barreled projectile discharging equipment, or firearms, i.e. rifles and shotguns, that use a front stabilizing device, i.e. bipod or sandbag.
(2) Description of Related Art
Others have attempted to improve the accuracy of shooting equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,748 is an example of a portable tripod that stabilizes a firearm. Although this is an improvement with regard to certain narrow situations, it has very little practical use. The tripod in actual use is bulky when spread out, the shooter must sit in one position, and the shooter must find a very favorable spot which would provide cover for such a highly elevated shooting position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,398 is an example of a telescoping monopod which provides portable support under a firearm for a shooter. This has improved flexibility in that the elevation of the gun during shooting has a much broader range, but it is limited in that the shooter has only one support point on the rifle. Accuracy is not as well defined because the shooter must provide for stabilization by the use of holding the firearm with his hands, arm, and ultimately, his body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,021 is a similar example of a telescoping monopod. It is an improvement over a tree branch with a fork.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,814 is an attempt to provide for a back stabilization of a shooting firearm by using a support under the buttstock. An aiming adjustment is provided by a vertical sliding plate which may be locked in place. The adjustment is meant to be used in conjunction with a front stabilization procedure to provide improved aiming accuracy. This has important limitations in convenience and practical use. The shooter will find it very awkward to use a hand to make necessary adjustments in the rear position adjustment while attempting to line up a shot. Also, the elevation adjustment is split between a pivoting and sliding adjustment. It appears that larger adjustments are by positioning the vertical slide on the vertical shaft, and the finer adjustments are by pivoting the buttstock, i.e. twisting the gun. This would be unappealing to a shooter, and require a lot of time to line up a shot.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,116 is another example of an adjustment on the rear portion of a firearm. A spring loaded tube extends from the buttstock and additionally includes a threaded pad at the end of the tube. It is described as useful for stabilizing the gun in the field and the firing range where the shooting is at a fixed target. This has important limitations in actual use. It is very inconvenient for a shooter to remove one hand from the firearm and adjust the rear stabilizing mechanism. The shooter no longer has both hands on the firearm in the ready, shoot position. Also, the adjustment is by rotation of the threaded rod with the foot pad at the end which rests on the ground. If the foot pad is resting upon un-stabilized dirt or gravel the rotation will add instability to the aiming adjustment which will be frustrating for the shooter. This is a very undesirable method of aiming adjustment. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 7,124,528 has similar problems with adjustment, convenience and storage.